MELBOURNE MARKETS. The inactivity in the import market which has prevailed for a number of weelcs I past, continued during the last week. Still i there has been no actual depression in pri ces, though it is believed that in some in stances in which there is a desire to realize, I the purchaser might obtain favorable terms ! on particular goods. It is known that stocks in second hands are getting low or wearing out ; and, although country orders are generally confined to small par cols, yet stocks must shortly be replenished and a brisk trade is confidently looked for. The excitement in the flour trade still continues unabated, and during the week j there lias been extensive speculative busi-! ness done in that article. The news re cently to hand of continued drought in California, and the consequent partial failure of the crops in that country, Lave further tended to increased firmness, if not an actual advance, in prices. It is repor ted that £25 cash per ton has been , paid, and £...

Friday, 31si July, 18-57. TO OUH READERS. Singe the commencement of the present quarter, when the editorial pen was trans ferred to our unpractised hand, we have been precluded, by a press of more impor tant matter, from submitting to our readers the views withj which we have assumed the management of the Gipps Land Guar dian.; We , consider that the aim of such a pub lication should be, not to supplant to the extent of its local circulation the journals ; of the Metropolis, but to supplement them j by the diffusion of intelligence, interesting j chiefly from its local origin, and by direct ing attention to subjects that, however tri- j fling in themselves, assume importance from their bearing on local interests. Thoroughly convinced of our own falli bility, we do not, on these or any other topics that we may discuss, aspire to lead, but simply to elicit and afford opportuni ties for, the expression of public opinion. With this view we shall make every exer tion to publish all commu...

THE STEAM TUG. It is with great reluctance that we enter upon any remarks that can possibly he con strued as trenching upon one of those con troversies, which, though by no means peculiar to Gipps Land, have been rife here, and one of the worst features of which has been that, in the heat of rivalry, the course most commonly adopted to advance the interest of one place, was to inflict injury upon another. Gipps Land does not ad vance so rapidly as to require a drag at all, even were it possible that such an impedi ment to the progress of one wheel, could at all facilitate the advance of another. In a letter reprinted from, the. Age, in our last week's issue, the writer indirectly imputes to our Harbor Master, participa tion in jobbery with the P. A. S. N. Co., in working the Oberon while towing' vessels out. Mr. Fermaner's character justly stands so high in the estimation of the pub lic here as to need no defence from us, nor should we have considered it worth while to allude to the...

SALE. Friday, July 24th, 1857. (Before C. J. Tyers, Esq., R.M.) &amp;lt; Joseph Ferguson appeared +o answer to a complaint of John McDonnell, who sta ted that about nine months back he left some wearing- apparel in defendant's house and also gave into his charge a cheque1 for two pounds, on his applying- for his pro perty defendant denied all knowledge of either money or clothes. The charge was unsupported by any other evidence than that of the plaintiff and the case was dismissed. •

THE ORCHARD. No. III. In planting out grafted, trees, which is best done after they have had one season's growth, the spots to be occupied by each should be first marked by a stake. The distance at which dwarf standards, the usual form of growing fruit trees here, and the most suitable, should be planted, is twenty feet by twenty-four. The earth being removed from a circle of six feet in diameter, and to a depth, vaiying according to that of the soil, of from one to two feet, the top spit should be returned, and the tree placed upo-n it exactly in the proper line, the tap-ro ot, if any, being shortened, any bruised roots cut off, and the smaller ones spread o-«t equally in every direction.; some well routed manure having been mixed with the remainder of the soil, the finest part of it m ust be spread over and amongst the roots, the hole filled in and a stake driven in t&amp;lt; > support the stem upright, and to prevent fche high winds from disturbing the roots. After the fir...

ALBERTON DISTRICT ROAD BOARD. &amp;nbsp; Meeting held at the Royal Hotel, Tar &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; raville, July 25th, 1857. &amp;nbsp; Present—The Chairman, Messrs. How &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; den, and Flinn. &amp;nbsp; Minutes of last meeting read and con &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; firmed. The Secretary reported to the Board that by an error at the printer's the adver tisement calling for tenders for the repair of Wellington-street, Port Albert, had not been inserted. Resolved that until all contracts let by this Board are completed and paid off, no further tenders be called for. Resolved that the Secretary write to the hon. the Chief Commissioner of Public Lands requesting that allotment 29, section A, consisting of 10 acres, in Tarraville, be reserved from sale for the purpose of pro viding sand, gravel, &amp;c., &amp;c., for public works. The Committee appointed to draw up regulations for draining brought up their report, but its considerat...

TARRAVILLE. Saturday, 25th July, 1857. (Before Capt. Cavey, P.M.) Richard Searle was summoned by Jas. Welsh for refusing to pay him £3, balance of wages alleged to be due. The evidence shewed that Mr. Searle had paid the com- plainant in full to the day of his discharge, and the Bench hereupon dismissed the case. Mrs. Buntine, of Bruthen Creek, was then charged, under the Master and Ser- vants Act, with refusing to pay to Char- lotte Mather, formerly in her employ, the balance of wages due to her at the time of her discharge. Mrs. Buntine did not dis- pute that there was a balance due to com- plainant, which was found to be £5. By direction of the Bench Mrs. Buntine at once paid it. William Firman was then charged with having branded a bullock, the property of Mrs. Stone, of the Tarra Survey. Mr. Gurney appeared for the defendant, and Mr. J. M. Flinn, by permission of the Bench, conducted the case for the prosecu- tion. Several witnesses were examined, whose evidence tended to show ...

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. PORT ALBERT. Friday, 24th July, 1857. (Before Capt. Carey, P.M.) John Avery appeared to answer to the complaint of Eugene Garland for refusing to pay him his wages. &amp;nbsp; It appeared from the evidence that Gar- land had hired with the defendant as a joiner, and that Mr. Avery objected to pay &amp;nbsp; him the balance of his wages on account &amp;nbsp; of his incompetency and idleness; the Bench &amp;nbsp; however informed Mr. Avery that he ought to have complained before them, if he had any fault to find with his servant, and or- dered him to pay £3, the amount found to be due, and cancelled the agreement. Monday, 27th July, 1857. Thomas Hcdrington was charged by Constable Cummins with having, violently Resisted him in the execution'of,his duty the previous night at Tarraville. The prisoner, a recent arrival from Hobart Town, pleaded intoxication in mitigation, and was sentenced to three months im prisonment in Alberton gaol. Edward JBaher ...

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. ■ We talte the opportunity of requesting that all communications intended for insertion should be sent earlff in the week, written on one side of, the pa per only; also that the name of the writer lie either aUudied to the communication or sent in confidence, otherwise it cannot appear. ..... . ; : f The person who favored -us 1 witli the lines to the Air of Yankee Doodle is thiinkw!, hnt his contribution:is1'not:suited; to our columns. Traveller's letter next week.

£anij ^tuu'ftuuT, Friday, 7th August, 1851/ THE LA.ND BILL. "\Vb learn from our correspondent at Sale that a. meeting: is i intended t) be hold ^ there on the 8th instant, for the purpose of protesting' against the provisions of the Land Bill. We , trust that the good sense of the meeting will prevent &amp;lt; their repeating,' on a small scale, the farce acted by the'Convention of Dele gates sitting in Melbourne. "Whatever the defects of the Ministerial scheme, -it certainly would'be preferable, as uwhole} to the -universal 'scramble' for the landad vocated by the Convention. We esteem* as one of the dearest privileges of English men, the right of grumbling and petition ing against whatever we may deem injus tice or wrong committed by our rulers, but if we are earnest in our wish to obtain redress for a grievance, or to avert injustice or wrong, we must have some regard to sense and reason in our grumbling*, to moderation and right in oui* petitions. Probably one of the most se...